8 THEBIGISSUE24JULY–6AUG2015
“I’m lost for words, to be honest.
We almost just watched our
friend get eaten by a shark and
I’m just blown away that there’s
no damage at all.”
US surfer Kelly Slater responds to
Australian Mick Fanning’s all-too-close
encounter with a shark during a world
championship event in South Africa.
Just when they thought it was safe to
go back in the water...
– The Age (Aus)
“Dear Green Leaf Elm, I hope you
like living at St Mary’s. Most of
the time I like it too. I have exams
coming up and I should be busy
studying. You do not have exams
because you are a tree. I don’t think
there is much more to talk about as
we don’t have a lot in common, you
being a tree and such. But I’m glad
we’re in this together.”
One of over 3000 emails sent in the
last two years to individual trees in
Melbourne, as a consequence of a
council program giving every tree a
unique ID. The program was intended to
allow people to advise the council about
particular trees needing attention, but
people began using the platform to send
loving messages to their favourite trees.
– BBC (UK)
“A lot of people ask me how it
feels to have death threats, but
I try to not focus on it and focus
on the good parts of my journey.
In a way, I feel privileged to be
attacked by ISIS because it means
the message is as strong as their
weapons and their violence.”
Kurdish pop star Helly Luv on the
upside of getting in the face of ISIS
with songs that directly take on the
extremist militant group. The music
video for her song ‘Revolution’ has
Helly Luv cat-walking into a war zone
and staring defiantly into the barrel
of a gun.
– Vice (US)
‘‘The fascinating thing I
discovered about ants is, if some
water comes along and they need
to avoid drowning, they innately
know to cross their legs with each
other and connect to create a raft.
The youngest ants, the baby ants,
are the most buoyant, and they
put them in the middle.’’
Actor Paul Rudd (Forgetting Sarah
Marshall, Knocked Up – you know,
lots of films like that) on discovering
something fascinating about ants: they
handle water well.
– The New York Times (US)
“Whatever was difficult in my
childhood, from my parents
getting divorced or whatever
problems we had, it was my
motivation to get a job and work
hard. So it was positive in that
regard... I don’t know if making
[my kids’] lives stable is helping
them or de-motivating them. The
worst parts of my life have been
the reasons why I’ve been able to
accomplish anything.”
Filmmaker and comedian Judd
Apatow (Forgetting Sarah Marshall,
Knocked Up – you know, lots of films
like that) on the upside of instability,
and whether giving his children stable
lives might not help them.
– Rolling Stone (US)
I SEE LIFE AS LIKE BEING ATTACKED BY A
BEAR. YOU CAN RUN, YOU CAN PRETEND
TO BE DEAD OR YOU CAN MAKE YOURSELF
BIGGER. SO, IF YOU’RE MY STATURE, YOU
STAND ON A CHAIR AND BANG A PAN
AND SCREAM AND SHOUT AS IF YOU’RE
GOING TO ATTACK THE BEAR. THIS IS MY
GO-TO STRATEGY. I REALLY LIKED BEING
PREGNANT, FOR EXAMPLE, BECAUSE I GOT
TO TAKE UP MORE SPACE.
Comedian Amy Poehler (left), best known as Leslie Knope in the TV satire
Parks and Recreation, on her approach to the big, scary, furry thing that is life.
– The Guardian (UK)
HEARSAY
WRITER RICHARD CASTLES » CARTOONIST ANDREW WELDON
“I love your eye shadow –
it’s so...3D.”
A teenage girl in 3D glasses
to her friend at the cinema.
Overheard by Kerin
of Glenelg, SA.
EAR2GROUND
PHOTOGRAPHBYBRENDONTHORNE/GETTYIMAGES;CARTOONBYANDREWWELDON